Plant-rest.



' PATENTED FEB. 26,1907 E. w. THAYER.

PLANT REST. A

APPLIOATION FILED SEPT. 28. 1906.

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I v Inwhfbfl. I Emily 14 5x6126 Thayeag- 5 1, WASHINGTON, 1:.0.

EMILY W. THAYER, OF SAXTONS RIVER, VERMONT.

PLANT-REST.

Specification of Letters Iatent.

Patented Feb. 26, 1 907.

Application filcri September 28,1906. filerial No. 336,538.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EMILY TAITEE T IIAYER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Saxtons River, in the county of Windham and State of Vermont, have made certain new and useful Improvements in Plant-Rests, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of this invention is the construction of a bracket-shelf designed to be secured to or supported by a windoW-sill without marring or otherwise affecting the visible surface of the sill for supporting any desired article such, for instance, as a potted plant.

My invention has for its further object the provision of means of so supporting a saucer beneath a potted plant as to enable such saucer to be removed and replaced without requiring the moving of such potted plant.

Referring to the drawings forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a plan view of a bracket-shelf made in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a side view of the same, showing it supported by a window-sill. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of the devices for securing the shelf to the sill. Fig. 4 is a side view of a modified form of my invention, showing it arranged for engagement with the external part of the sill or ledge. Fig. 5 is a plan view of a part of said modification.

The main point of this shelf is its arrangement for fastening itto the outer face of the sill or to the window-ledge and of supporting it upon the front part of the sill in such a manner as to enable it to be quite readily removed and when so removed to leave no visible screw-holes or other injury to any visible part of the window-sill. In doing this I prefer to form the shelf of metal, having its frame of heavy wire rod and its shelfsurface of finer wire. Such wire rod 1 is formed with a circular or semicircular intermediate portion 2, terminal horizontal sections 5, and oblique connectingsections 6. The front part of the sections 5 are each provided with a rubber buffer 7, of tubing, split to mount it thereon, while the end of each said section is a short bend or finger 8, also horizontal, and such fingers being directed toward each other.

Upon each finger 8 is secured a sheetmetal flap 10, the lower end of which is formed with spurs 12, its upper edge being curved into a socket 11 for embracing said finger. These spurs are designed to be forced into the back face of the window-sill, and so hold the rear ends of the horizontal sections 5 from rising, and so permitting the shelf to fall. The rubber buffers 7 being the fulcrums and the said flaps the weight, any load placed upon the shelf is securely sustained. So long as the window-sash is in place, as shown in Fig. 2, said flaps cannot become disengaged; but to provide equal security when the sash is raised screws 14 are inserted through the holes 13 into the sill. If desired, the flaps can be made without the spurs 12, the screws being alone capable of holding the weight for which the shelf is designed; but as there are many homes without tools or knowledge equal to the task of driving a screw and the spurs will perform the task even without the help of the same I prefer to provide both means of fastening.

The object of the zigzag is to raise the shelf far enough above the sill 30 to allow of a saucer being inserted beneath the shelf upon the supplemental shelf forming a part of my invention, as hereinafter set forth. The backward inclination is designed for the purpose of permitting the plant to be located close to the windowpane.

Thus arranged there is no danger of marring the surface ofthe window-sill, the screw-holes and spur indentations are all out of sight in the rear face of the sill, and at any time the shelf can be raised enough to permit of its being wiped off, the shelf turning on the fingers 8 as a pivot.

The second feature of my invention--the supplemental shelf for the saucer is constructed as follows: Terminally secured to wire 1 at the bends 4 is a heavy wire 15, practically semicircular in general shape and crossed by numerous smaller wires 16, composing the body of the supplemental shelf. Uprights 18 suspend this supplemental shelf from the main Shelf.

The cross-wires 3 of the upper shelf are, as shown in Fig. 1, interrupted at the center of the shelf in order to allow ample space for the water to drip from the plant into a saucer supported upon the supplemental shelf.

Thus made a potted plant can be supported directly upon the main shelf and its saucer placed upon the supplemental shelf, and

whenever the water dripping from the pot has filled or nearly filled the saucer the latter can be readily withdrawn, emptied, and replaced, thus dispensing with the task of taking off the heavy plant and holding it in one arm or standing it on the floor or a chair while emptying the saucer.

If desired, the potted plant can be itself stood in a saucer and a larger one placed in the supplemental shelf to receive the overflow from the one above; but in either case this supplemental shelf is a very handy and valuable addition to the bracket-shelf.

In the modification shown in Figs. 4 and 5 the horizontal sections 5 are prolonged and flattened and bent to conform with the back of the sill and the upper surface of the window-ledge, such extensions being curved downward and inward to engage the under and outer edge of such ledge 31 at 32. Each such extension consists of the upright 20. slanting section 21, and curve 22, as shown in Fig. 4. If desired, a screw 23 can be inserted through each section 21 into the windowledge to render the shelf still more secure.

By having the sections 20 21 quite thin the window-sash is not interfered with to any substantial extent in closing, the same being even more true of my preferred construction, where only the thin flaps 10 act to slightly spring the sash away from close contact with the rear of the sill.

What I claim as my invention, and for which I desire Letters Patent, is as follows, to wit:

1. A bracket-shelf disposed to be supported by a window-sill, and having a member adapted to be located in the space between the window-sash and the sill and composing a part of the supporting means of the shelf.

2. A bracket-shelf composed of a single length of metal rod having its ends provided with members adapted for occupying the space between a window-sill and the windowsash and incapable of removal while said sash is closed, and intermeshing wires uniting the intermediate portion of said rod and forming the shelf proper.

3. A bracket-shelf composed of a single length of metal rod bent to form a substantiallysemicircular intermediate section; hori zontal terminal sections resting upon the sill of a window; oblique sections uniting said intermediate and horizontal sections and disposed to both elevate and give a rearward position to said intermediate section; means entering the space between the sill and sash for securing the extremities of said horizontal sections in position; and means filling up said semicircular section and converting it into a shelf.

4. A bracket-shelf composed of a length of metal rod bent upon itself and suitably filled up to constitute a shelf; and flaps pivoted to the ends of said rod and constructed to be secured in the space between the sill and sash of the window for which the shelf is designed.

5. A bracketshelf composed of a lengthef metal rod bent upon itself and suitably filled up to constitute a shelf, and flaps secured to the ends of said rod; said flaps being thin for fitting the space between a window-sill and sash and formed with spurs for engagement with the rear surface of said sill.

6. A bracket-shelf provided with one or more thin members disposed to be secured within the space between the rear edge of a window-sill and the sash; the shelf itself proj ecting beyond and supported by the windowsill, while said member or members holds the shelf from'tilting downward at its front edge.

7. A bracket-shelf composed of a length of metal rod bent upon itself and provided with means for completing the shelfsurface; the ends of said rod being-bent into horizontal alining fingers, in combination with sheetmetal flaps having sockets for clasping said fingers and means for fastening such flaps witlhin the space between a window-sill and sas 1.

8. The combination with a shelf supporting a potted plant, and apertured to permit the drip of water from the latter, of a supplemental shclf located close beneath the firstnamed shelf and disposed to receive the saucer of such potted plant and hold it toreceive the drip therefrom; such shelf being adapted to hold such saucer in substantial conltf act with the under side of the first-named she 9. The combination with a length of metal rod bent to form a shelf-frame, of intermeshing wires supported by said rod and composing the main body of the shelf, a wire rod terminally secured to said rod and bent to form a supplemental shelf beneath the first-named shelf, intermeshing wires composing the floor of this last-named shelf, and vertical wires suspending the latter shelf from the former.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing invention I have hereunto set my hand this 20th day of September; 1906.

EMILY IV. TI-IAYER.

itnesses:

Mrs. E. I. KILBURN, Hrs. E. A. TnAYER. 

